


No One Can Love You Like I Do

by lonesomewriter



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Banana Fish Fluff Week 2019, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-01 08:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17241341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonesomewriter/pseuds/lonesomewriter
Summary: Eiji accidentally tells his sister that he and Ash are together after she keeps on setting him up with random guys, and now the two boys have to pretend they are in a relationship. What's even worse, Eiji has had a crush on Ash for as long as he can remember. But what if the blond boy was feeling the same way all along?





	1. Dreams/Forever

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for the Banana Fish Fluff Week 2019
> 
> The title is from Surrender by Eivør

“What do you mean by ‘not interested’? Takeshi is a real cool guy!” Aika pouted, crossing her arms as she leaned closer to her brother. “You two would look so good together! And besides, he plays guitar~”

“How does that have anything to do with this?” Eiji sighed, rubbing his temples in despair. He loved his sister dearly, he really did, but there were times where he wasn’t so happy for having her so invested in his life. Trying to find him a boyfriend had become a sort of an obsession for the young girl, which frustrated Eiji beyond anything.

But he hadn’t been able to stop her before, and it usually led to some painfully awkward dates where Eiji made a fool of himself trying to let the guys down gently. Ash was always sniggering with Shorter after those dates, which would’ve made Eiji laugh too if it wasn’t him who had to suffer.

“What do you mean? Playing guitar is so  _ cool _ ! I bet he can also sing like a rock star! You really need to invite him over to dinner next Saturday~”

“I need to do  _ no _ such thing!”

“Huh? But I already told mom you would!” she looked as if she was about to burst with frustration from the way she stomped her feet to the floor. Eiji swallowed, feeling uneasy under the murderous glare she threw at him.

“Why would you do that?” he whispered in horror, already knowing the stupid comments he would get from his parents over the weekend. “I already told you I have plans for that day, Ash wants to take me -”

“You can just tell him no,” she smirked, patting her brother’s shoulder. “You know that you can never get a proper boyfriend if you keep on clinging onto your best friend like that… Someone might even think you two are a thing!”

“That’s because we - we are together!”

The words were followed by a deafening silence. Aika blinked slowly, while Eiji’s face heated up when the realisation of what he’d just blurted out registered in his brain. Before he could say anything, however, she brightened up and jumped to the air, squealing aloud before hopping onto his brother to wrap her arms around him in a tight embrace.

“I knew it!” she screamed, wiggling with the enthusiasm flooding to her body. “I knew you were together! It’s so obvious! But why haven’t you said anything until just now? You know I wouldn’t have set you up with all those guys if you’d just confirmed this sooner…”

“Wait - what do you mean by ‘you already knew’?” Eiji felt at lost, the weight of the words washing over him as he tried to focus on his sister’s overly enthusiastic blabbering.

“Oh come on, you two are so obvious even a blind person could say you are in love!”

Eiji didn’t know whether he should feel offended or not, but he chose to ignore her words for now. Instead, another stomach-lurching thought invaded his mind, and he felt as if he was about to throw up.

_ What do I tell Ash? _

*

“Huh.”

“So, uhm… Is it okay to you?” Eiji’s voice was trembling, and he had to swipe his sweaty hands to his jeans as he tried to be as casual as he normally was. It was hard with the way Ash was leaning against the table, his slender fingers wrapped around the sandwich so tenderly Eiji felt his heart burst.

“I guess so,” Ash said nonchalantly, taking a bite of the bread. “It’s not a big deal, really. And if it gets your sister off your back, then I think it’s good.”

“Really?” Eiji shot his eyes up to meet Ash’s, his heart skipping a beat when he saw how calm the other boy looked. “I mean - you’re really okay with coming over to dinner and having my - my parents thinking that we’re together? I mean, isn’t it weird to you?”

Ash shrugged, turning to look at the busy street behind them, his posture completely relaxed. Eiji had always thought the blond boy really fit well into the suburban environment, the buzz of the city breathing life into the already enthralling man. “Like I said, it’s not a big deal at all.”

Eiji felt himself relax at last, turning his attention back to the wrap in front of him. Somehow, his stomach was turning in a way that was surprisingly not completely uncomfortable. More so, it almost felt as if he was floating just slightly in the air.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“But I do think we should think it through properly,” Ash added after a while, making Eiji snap his head back towards him. He fought the blush fighting its way to his cheeks as he found the emerald eyes already staring at him.

“What do you mean?”

“What are we going to tell them?” Ash asked, leaning over to steal Eiji’s drink from him, taking a sip before continuing. “How did we start dating? How long have we been together? How comfortable are you with intimacy, and how far are we supposed to go so that they’ll buy it?”

“Uh,” Eiji stated, staring at the edge of his cup where Ash’s mouth had been just seconds ago. “Ah - I told Aika we’ve been dating for a month now. And uhm, we could’ve just casually realised we have feelings for each other? Maybe at some of the movie nights or something like that… And uhm, for the int - intimacy, I uh - I’m -”

“Is kissing okay?”

Eiji had to close his eyes, the way Ash had said those words making his lower abdomen heat up with the possibility of getting to  _ kiss _ his best friend. He had to fight the urge to just surge toward Ash, to claim his mouth with his own -

Eiji swallowed, his face burning as he realised the direction his thoughts had been travelling to. “Ah, I think we can try to avoid it if we can?”

Ash looked somehow disappointed for a second, but his face morphed into a smile so quickly Eiji couldn’t say for sure. The blond boy smirked, leaning against the table in a way that sucked all the air out of Eiji’s lungs. How anyone could look that handsome was a question Eiji found himself asking all the time.

“How about a kiss to your cheek? Is that okay? And I guess hugs and holding hands are a given, right?”

“Yes, those are all good,” Eiji answered, his voice a little high and head swimming. It felt so absurd, talking of these things with his crush as if this was normal for them. He chuckled when he thought how close they were to be able to do this.

_ But still not close enough. _

Eiji sighed, looking at his friend, who was currently staring at his sandwich with a goofy smirk. His blond hair flowed in the wind, and Eiji’s heart bursted with how beautiful he looked.

He finished his wrap in a blink of an eye, slipping back into a casual conversation with his friend, the fact of their fake-relationship momentarily forgotten.


	2. Affection/Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash comes over to have dinner with Eiji and his family.

The doorbell rang, shaking Eiji from his intrusive thoughts. He took a shaky breath before walking towards the stairs, trying his best to calm himself before facing his best friend. He tugged at the sleeves of the light pink dress shirt he was wearing, and froze when he heard the front door opening downstairs, his sister’s cheerful voice greeting the blond boy.

Eiji sprinted the rest of the stairs in a blur, nearly collapsing against the cabinet in the hallway as he hurried to the doorway just in time to lock his eyes with Ash before the other boy was smothered by Eiji’s entire family.

Ash laughed brightly when Eiji’s mother took him into a tight embrace, tapping his hands to her back as she refused to let him go, prolonging the hug beyond the point of awkward. Eiji threw an apologetic look at the boy, but Ash just shook his head and smiled softly.

Looking at the interaction made Eiji’s heart flutter in his chest. Usually Ash wasn’t one for physical contacts of any sort, but seeing him so openly enthusiastic while being pulled into a crushing hug from each of Eiji’s family members made the dark haired boy proud.

“Now now, let’s give the young couple a chance to greet each other!” Eiji’s mother laughed, grabbing her husband by the arm to give the two boys room. Eiji took a shaky step towards his friend, suddenly very aware of just what kind of a greeting his mother was expecting.

He looked at his mom, raising an eyebrow in a vain attempt of giving her a subtle hint to leave them alone, but of course her mother ignored him and chose to stare at Ash instead. Eiji shifted in his place uncomfortably, not sure how he should welcome his best friend to their house. Everyone was looking at the two of them expectantly, and Eiji was almost certain his sister was holding her breath in the doorway.

“Hello,” Ash broke the silence before it could stretch endlessly, and stepped closer to Eiji with a wide smile on his face. “You look good.”

The blush on his cheeks was definitely  _ not  _ there, and Eiji’s eyes widened as he rushed to answer the blond boy. “You look good too! Great, actually!”

Ash snickered at him, lifting his hands to straighten the collar of Eiji’s shirt, brushing some nonexistent dust off his shoulders before bringing his eyes to meet the others. Eiji’s breath caught in his throat as he felt his friend’s hands drop to his waist, pulling him even closer until he could feel the heat radiating from the other boy, smelling the faint cologne that now filled his senses.

Eiji’s eyes closed when Ash leaned closer, and held his breath when he felt the softness of his lips pressing against his cheek. The contact didn’t last for long, but Eiji’s skin tickled for minutes after his friend had stepped back. Eiji’s heartbeat didn’t seem to normalise when he realised Ash had left his other arm around his waist, the temperature in the room suddenly rising a couple degrees.

“Are you alright?” Ash whispered once they began making their way to the living room, the concern behind his words making Eiji’s cheeks heat up. He nodded weakly, resisting the urge to press his finger to the spot Ash’s lips had invaded just moments ago.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Ash looked skeptical, but didn’t say anything as they sat down to the couch, ignoring Aika’s self-satisfied smirk when all Eiji could concentrate on was the way his thigh brushed against Ash’s.

_ Why am I so on edge today? It’s not like we’ve never sat so close together before… _

“So, Ash, tell me what are your intentions with my son?” Eiji’s father asked suddenly, making the dark haired boy groan aloud. But to his surprise, there was no snark comment from Ash, but instead the blonde looked dead serious when he looked at Eiji’s father.

“I aim to make him the happiest person alive,” the honesty behind Ash’s tone made Eiji pause, and he looked at his friend with confusion behind his eyes as the blond boy continued. “There’s nothing I want more than to hear him laugh. But I also want to be there for him when he is sad, so that I can do my everything to make him feel better. I want us to be able to grow as persons together, and I want to support him through the good and bad.”

Eiji was left speechless from the sincerity his friend’s words conveyed, but was barely able to comprehend what had been said when his father nodded in agreement, cracking up a smile. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now, I also wanted to know if you’d be willing to have a rematch in chess with me?”

Ash laughed at that, the sound making all of the worries leave Eiji’s body. “Sure, if you are so eager to lose again!”

“I want to play too!” Aika jumped up and down on her spot on the couch, and Eiji had to shake his head, a soft smile playing on his face. He had feared things would be awkward between them now that he was ‘dating’ Ash, but it seemed as if he had been worrying for nothing. He looked at Ash, who was currently teasing Aika, and his heart ached with the longing for this all to be true.

_ I want to feel his arms around me again… _

Eiji sighed, smiling softly as he looked at the trio setting up the chessboard. Playing chess had been a thing between the three of them ever since Eiji had first brought Ash to his home. When his father had heard that Ash liked the game, he’d challenged him to a match, but there hadn’t been even one time he’d ever won against the blond boy. But somehow he seemed to enjoy losing to Ash, and that’s why they played against each other whenever they met.

Aika had surprised them all by winning one match, but Eiji was pretty sure Ash had let her win as it had never happened again, but he couldn’t say for sure as his sister was quite smart, and Ash had sworn he had been giving it his all.

Eiji’s mother gestured his son to join her in the kitchen, and Eiji reluctantly followed her, leaving Ash to his father’s and sister’s hands.

“I can’t honestly tell you how relieved I am that you two are together,” Eiji’s mother said once they were in the kitchen. She opened the oven to have a look at the pork inside, humming at herself as the smell of the slowly cooked meat filled the room. “Ah, that looks delicious. Your father really knows what he’s doing…”

“Do you need help at something?” Eiji asked, knowing his mother’s inability to cook anything that wasn’t instant noodles. It was kind of funny, really, but not so much when his father worked long hours and was barely there to make them food. That was the main reason Eiji himself had become such a great cook, and he felt at least partially grateful for his mother for being the way she was.

“Oh yes, you can help me make the salad,” she laughed, leaning against the kitchen counter with a bright smile on her face. “But first, I have a couple of questions about you and Ash…”

*

The dinner went on without much embarrassing situations, apart from the constant teasing and questioning from Eiji’s parents. But Ash seemed to enjoy the meal, even so much as to offer his help in cleaning after they were finished.

Now, the two boys were laying on Eiji’s bed, contemplating on whether they should play something or not.

“Your parents are so nice,” Ash said, turning to his stomach, his body brushing against Eiji’s. “I don’t remember ever being so full as I am now.”

“That’s because you ate like a pig,” Eiji giggled, poking at the small sliver of skin that was showing from under Ash’s shirt, making the blond boy squeal in surprise. Eiji laughed, turning so that he got better access to tickle the other boy properly. It was amazing, really, how ticklish Ash was. Although he looked tough as hell, he was really such a softie.

“You bastard!” Ash choked between the giggles when he managed to pin Eiji down, pressing both of his hands above his head in a successful attempt of ending his torture. His breathing was heavy, and Eiji froze when he realised the position they were in, the way Ash’s breath ghosted against his face making his stomach turn and heat flush under his navel.

Ash seemed to notice the way Eiji stopped laughing, and froze himself.

“Uh, I’m sorry,” he said, releasing Eiji in an instant. Eiji wanted to tell him to come back, to tell him that it was alright, but the words got stuck in his throat, and all he could do was to blush and stare at the ceiling as his best friend rose from the bed to go get set them some game to play.


	3. New Beginnings/Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week has passed, and it's time for a movie night with the gang!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argh, I feel like I didn't write the boys good enough in this chapter, but I hope it doesn't ruin the fic for you :/

“We don’t have to pretend in front of our friends, do we?” Eiji asked quietly, hating himself for being the one to voice the thought out loud. He knew there was no reason for them to lie to the others, but the not-so-small part of him wanted desperately to extend the fake relationship thing that was going on between them.

“I guess we don’t,” Ash answered in the same voice. “If we make sure Aika won’t find out, I think we can continue being friends outside your house, right? I mean, it’s not as if we’re not close as it is…”

Eiji nodded, looking down at their intertwined fingers as they walked down the street. They were going to Shorter’s place for the weekend, their monthly movie night being this Friday. The week after the dinner had passed by in a blur, and all Eiji could remember was the way Ash laughed, how his hands brushed against his when they walked next to each other, how his smile widened whenever he saw Eiji looking at him…

He had no idea whether they’d always been so close, as it felt so new yet somehow so familiar, and Ash’s words made him wonder if this had just always been the way they were. But there was no way he could ever ask Ash to confirm it, so he stayed silent and basked in the closeness between them.

But now, he was  _ terrified _ Ash would stop holding his hand when they were together. He feared the distance that might appear between them if Eiji’s family wasn’t present, but most of all he feared that Ash might decide he wanted nothing to do with him all of a sudden.

“Are you alright?” the soft tone in which Ash asked the question ripped Eiji from his spiralling thoughts, and he painted a quick smile on his face, nudging closer to his best friend while he tightened his grip on him.

“I’m fine, just a bit chilly,” Eiji said, failing to hide the blush that covered his cheeks as he felt Ash pressing him closer against his body. He didn’t get to enjoy the feeling for long, though, as they reached Shorter’s place after a minute.

“Oi, the lovebirds are here!” Shorter shouted to the others as he opened the door, grinning knowingly at the proximity the two boys were in. “What’s up? It’s been ages since we last saw each other!”

“Yet somehow you’ve managed to get even uglier,” Ash snickered, pulling Eiji inside the apartment with him. “I honestly don’t know how that’s even physically possible.”

Shorter played with Ash’s hair in a joking manner, not at all offended by the blond’s words. “You’re one to say, your hair feels nasty! But what is this, are you two officially a thing now or what?”

Ash didn’t answer, but instead concentrated on getting his shoes off, not letting go of Eiji’s hand while he did so. The japanese boy willed his heartbeat to quiet down before he rushed to answer. “Of course we’re not a thing!”

He felt more than saw Ash’s entire body freezing for a fraction of a second, and then the blond let go of Eiji’s hand and took his shoes to the rack. Eiji immediately mourned the loss of warmth, and missed the look Shorter gave to Ash when he bend down to take his own shoes off.

“Yeah, we’re just faking a relationship so that Aika would leave Eiji alone,” Ash said, his voice strangely muffled as his back was turned against Eiji. “Not a big deal, really.”

“Your stupidity is impressive, honestly,” Shorter said in an almost desperate voice, but Ash only managed to throw him a pleading look before Yut-Lung poked his head out of the kitchen, turning his nose up when he saw the commotion on the doorway.

“Who’s being stupid now?” he said, flicking his long locks behind his back as he stepped inside the hallway, looking from Eiji to Ash while furrowing his brows.

“You, obviously,” Ash snapped, making his way to the living room without another word. Eiji frowned, wondering what exactly had gotten to his best friend so suddenly.

_ Did I say something wrong? _

Shorter sighed, but his features didn’t stay dejected for too long. He straightened his back before flashing the two boys a huge smile, gesturing towards the living room. “What are you waiting? The movie won’t watch itself!”

Eiji stared at the purple-haired boy as he went after Ash, the usual butterflies in his stomach changing to nausea. Yut-Lung shrugged, turning his attention to Eiji now that the other two had gone.

“I’m making popcorns, so you can tell the others to wait for me,” he said, and returned to the kitchen. Eiji nodded, putting his shoes away before following the sounds of laughter until he reached the living room.

“Eiji!” Skipper screamed when he saw the japanese boy, and hopped off the couch to rush over him. “I was wondering where you were! Come sit here, I’ve got something for you!”

Eiji chuckled as he followed the short boy to the couch, scanning the room for Ash before he sat down. When he didn’t find him, he frowned, the uneasy feeling in his stomach increasing. He didn’t get to think about it too hard, though, as Skipper pushed a glass in his hand with a wide smile, urging him to taste the suspiciously greenish liquid.

“Sing made it, so it’s not that strong,” Skipper explained when Eiji looked at him skeptically. He could recall more than just a couple of occasions where Skipper had managed to get him so wasted he couldn’t remember a thing the next morning, and every single time he’d told him the drinks ‘weren’t even that strong’.

“Yep, it’s basically just plain Mountain Dew,” Sing chirped, slumping down on the couch next to Eiji. “But I can make you -”

“No thanks, this is enough,” Eiji hurried to say, taking a sip before he could get lured into testing anything else. He was surprised when it tasted exactly what Sing had said it was - plain Mountain Dew.

“Where’s Yut-Lung? He’s taking too long in the toilet again,” Sing muttered, scratching his nose as he glanced over his shoulder as if he was waiting for the boy to just appear behind him. “I bet he’s braiding his hair again or something.”

Eiji was about to tell them he was actually making popcorns, but Ash chose that moment to reappear to the room with Shorter, making all coherent thoughts leave Eiji’s mind as his eyes landed on the blond boy. He looked calm, the way his t-shirt hugged his body being just short from  _ illegal _ , and Eiji could only swallow a couple of times as the blond reached the couch and squeezed himself between him and Sing , taking the glass from Eiji’s hand before sniffing it.

“What’s this?” he asked before taking a sip, his face morphing into one of disgust as the sugary taste filled his mouth. “Nevermind, I don’t even want to know.”

He pushed the glass back to Eiji, and the way his skin touched his sends sparks down Eiji’s palm as he struggled to keep his hand steady. He was painfully aware of the people inside the room, and having Ash so close to him made his head all fuzzy.

“Who wants popcorn?” Shorter shouted as he spotted Yut-Lung entering the room with a huge bowl in his hands, and everyone turned to scream at the long-haired boy as he made his way towards the coffee table.

  
They chatted on as Sing put the movie,  _ The Greatest Showman _ , on, and Eiji laughed when Ash threw popcorns to Shorter’s mouth, giving snarky remarks every time the other missed to catch them. As they quieted down when the movie began (well, as everyone apart from Shorter and Skipper - who just so happened to knew all the lyrics to all the songs - quieted down), Eiji leaned against Ash, wondering if he could possibly get any happier than he was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised I haven't really used the given prompts, but I'm still keeping them as the chapter titles ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	4. Freeday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The movie has ended and it's time for a little game of Truth or Dare!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised Eiji is blushing all the time and wow what a mood

If Eiji was being honest, he didn’t remember much of the movie they had just finished. He had tried his best to concentrate, he really had, but with Ash pressed against him, it had been impossible. He had felt every turn, every toss and even the slightest movement of the blond boy’s body, his senses so alert he hadn’t been able to hear anything from under the blood rushing to his head.

At some point, Ash had wrapped a blanket around them, and Eiji had lost his last bit of interest towards the musical. Instead, he’d chosen to cling onto the way his and Ash’s bodies fit together, and had contently pressed his head against his friend’s shoulder, drifting asleep when he felt delicate fingers rubbing his scalp in soft motions.

He was woken up by Shorter’s laughter, and blushed heavily when he realised he had drooled on Ash’s shirt, leaving a huge stain on the white fabric. He looked up at his friend, embarrassed by his actions as he rushed to apologise. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry-”

“It’s okay,” Ash breathed, swiping Eiji’s forehead to get the hair out of where it had stuck from sweat. “I hope you had sweet dreams.”

Eiji was about to answer when Yut-Lung flicked his tongue, watching the two boys with a hint of distaste on his face. “If you’re going to be like that the whole night, I’m out.”

“Ah, c’mon, you can’t say they aren’t sweet,” Sing laughed, throwing burnt popcorn at the long-haired boy, who just barely managed to dodge it. “You’re just jealous that you have no one to be all lovey-dovey with.”

Eiji’s blush wasn’t apparently going anywhere. He tried to open his mouth to argue that he wasn’t being ‘all lovey-dovey’, but was stopped when Ash suddenly rose from the couch and scooped him to his arms in the process. Eiji yelped, wrapping his hands around his friend’s neck in fear of falling. “Ash! What are you doing?”

“You need to wash your face,” came Ash’s short answer, and so Eiji could do nothing except to hold onto his friend tightly as he carried him to the bathroom. Ash lowered him gently onto the toilet seat before squatting down and brushing his fingers through Eiji’s hair. The dark-haired boy was holding his breath, afraid to move a muscle as he stared at Ash, the closeness of the other boy sending sparks to his stomach.

“You have such an adorable bedhead,” Ash said, and Eiji blushed harder than he had ever before. The way Ash said the words so casually amazed him, and he didn’t know how to react.  _ Had Ash meant anything by that? Was he waiting for an answer? _

His train of thought was interrupted, however, when the bathroom door opened and Skipper barged in, stopping when he saw the position the two boys were in, his eyes widening in realisation. “I’m so sorry! We’re going to play some truth or dare and the others wanted to…”

His voice trailed off, the awkwardness in the small space suffocating Eiji as he once again failed to prevent himself from blushing like a schoolgirl. Ash looked slightly pissed, but rose from the floor nevertheless.

“Wash your face, I’ll go ahead,” he said to Eiji, patting his shoulder softly before turning and leaving, taking Skipper with him as he went. Eiji sat still for a solid minute after they had gone, his mind processing just what exactly had happened.

_ Did Ash really call his hair adorable? Did it mean he thought that  _ Eiji _ was cute? _

He let out a groan, blaming his lovesick mind for twisting Ash’s words to mean something they most definitely did not mean. He and Ash were nothing more than friends, and he was  _ fine  _ with it.

Ignoring the crushing ache in his heart that followed the thought, Eiji rose from the toilet seat and washed his face, hoping that the cold water could make his face not blush so easily. With a quick look in the mirror, he left the bathroom.

As he entered the living room, he found his friends sitting in a circle on the floor, an empty spot waiting for him between Ash and Skipper. When Ash looked up, he smirked at Eiji, lifting his eyebrows at the questioning look on the dark haired boy’s face. “You didn’t brush your hair? Come here.”

Eiji obeyed silently, sitting down next to his best friend, who had already stolen a comb from Yut-Lung, who didn’t demand it back only because Sing had clasped his hands to his mouth with a devilish smirk on his face. While the two fought, Ash had made Eiji face the other way so that he could comb his hair. His motions were very gentle, and Eiji wanted to revel in the closeness between them.

“Oh my God, get a room!” Shorter shouted, startling Eiji so bad he knocked the comb out of Ash’s hand when he jumped up. Shorter grinned blatantly, and Ash threw the comb at him so fast he didn’t even see it coming until it hit hims square in the face.

“Ow! Why’d you do that?”

“Now now, are we going to play or not?” Skipper said, not quite managing to stop himself from laughing at the mock hurt face Shorter was flashing Ash. Sing, who was currently wrestling with Yut-Lung, let the long-haired man go instantly, jumping back to his spot with a grin.

“Let’s get started!” he stated loudly, snickering when Yut-Lung’s flushed face appeared next to him, his usually so tidy hair all over the place. Anyone who didn’t know the boy would’ve felt scared by the expression he threw at Sing, but the short haired boy just laughed at him. “You’re just too easy to tease.”

“I can start if no one else wants to,” Shorter said, putting his index finger under his chin as he scanned the room, his eyes widening as they landed on Eiji. Before he could say anything, though, Ash had already opened his mouth.

“Skipper, truth or dare?”

“Hey!” Shorter pouted, but let the blond do as he pleased. Skipper smiled while Sing snickered, and even Yut-Lung seemed curious of the situation. They all knew Ash always came up with the best dares and questions, so it was only natural to let him start the game.

“If I say dare, do you promise you’ll start with an easy one?” Skipper said, not really caring what kind of a dare he would get. Ash’s lips turned upwards, and everyone held their breath in anticipation of what he’d tell the short boy to do.

“Order us some pizza, I’m starving,” Ash said, finally breaking out a smile when Skipper groaned while everyone else in the room erupted into cheers. “Do you remember what we like, or do we have to make a list?”

“We better make a list or else he’ll get the wrong stuff ‘on accident’,” Yut-Lung said, going over to the bookshelf to get them a piece of paper. The next five minutes went by as they prepared the list and watched Skipper call the pizzeria. Eiji found himself laughing at everything, his head light and heart fluttering when his eyes repeatedly returned to Ash.

“Okay, now that that’s done I want to ask you, Sing,” Skipper said and pointed at the boy, who was currently leaning against Yut-Lung, who in return tried his best to push him off. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare, obviously.” It was a sort of an unwritten rule that they would all start with a dare, but they still always asked the first round out of habit. “Hit me with your best, Skip.”

“Hmm,” Skipper pretented to be thinking long and hard for what he would say, and only spoke when Shorter grew too impatient and threatened to castrate him if he didn’t hurry up. “Okay, you will have to belly dance as if your life depended on it!”

“Oh my God,” Yut-Lung snorted, dodging the hand Sing tried to slap him with, laughing aloud when the boy took his shirt off, only stopping when he threw it to his face.

“Well? Where’s my music?”

They put on some music, and Sing danced. He went all in, and only stopped when he was all out of breath and sweaty, collapsing on top of Yut-Lung with a loud thud. “That good?” he breathed, and sighed happily when Skipper deemed his dare done.

“Yut-Lung, truth or dare?”

The game went on in a similar matter until the doorbell rang, indicating that the pizza had arrived. Eiji was happy to help Skipper carry them in, and soon they had spread out on the floor with open pizza boxes.

“You have some scrubs on your face,” Ash said to him when they were done eating, and Eiji turned to look at him, immediately forgetting what he’d been talking about with Skipper. He tried to swipe his face, but Ash laughed and shook his head.

“It’s still there… No, more to the left,” he tried to guide Eiji, but when the japanese boy still didn’t manage to get it off, Ash smiled and leaned closer, softly swiping his thumb over Eiji’s bottom lip. Eiji’s breath quickened, and he prayed that his feelings weren’t displayed on his face. Ash stopped when he was done, but didn’t remove his hand from Eiji’s face.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity and a split second at the same time. Eiji felt lost inside the green eyes staring at him so intensely, and his heart ached to have the other boy closer to him, to have him touch him and hold him in his arms.

“Uhm, it’s - it’s uh clean now,” Ash whispered after a while, and turned away before Eiji could see the way his cheeks were tinted pink, reluctantly removing his hand from Eiji’s cheek. Eiji swallowed long and hard, blinking rapidly a couple of times before turning to look at the other boys, his face flushing red when he saw that they were all staring at him with knowing smirks on their faces.

“And you say you’re not dating?” Shorter shook his head.

“We’re… not… dating…”

_ But God, do I hope we were. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fake dating who? This fic isn't going to the way I planned but I kinda I like it better this way???


	5. Roadtrip/Coffeehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more Truth or Dare!!!

“So, Eiji, truth or dare?”

The game had continued for almost an hour now, and the atmosphere in the room was giddy. Sing had been dared to mix them all some drinks, and everyone was a little tipsy. Shorter had thick moustache drawn to his face with a permanent marker, and Skipper was missing his pants, but apart from that they were all pretty decent.

Eiji was giggling aloud, leaning his head against Ash’s shoulder as he answered the question thrown at him by Sing. “Truth… I suppose I haven’t picked that yet…”

Eiji’s first dare had come from Yut-Lung, who had ordered Eiji to give him a five-minute massage. Ash had for some reason left the room until he was done, and afterwards he’d kept his arms around Eiji, even while he was performing his own dares.

“Ah, I have a good one!” Sing laughed maniacally, ignoring Ash’s glare as he leaned closer to Eiji. “Describe your crush to us in five words!”

Eiji’s face was already pretty flushed, and he unconsciously looked at Ash when he answered. “He is smart, like  _ really _ smart. And good-looking, I could stare at him for hours… And he is so kind, but you know, in his own way -”

No one interrupted him even when he had long ago passed the five word limit, as everyone in the room were wondering how on Earth the two boys were not together yet. The blond boy had a pained looked on his face as he refused to meet EIji’s eyes, but the other didn’t even notice the way his hands tightened around him as he continued speaking.

“... and when he smiles I honestly want to  _ die  _ ‘cos he looks so beautiful and I can’t handle it,” he finished, having waxed poetry of Ash for the past five minutes now. Yut-Lung looked slightly queasy, but apart from him everyone was smiling.

“So, your crush is a ‘he’, then?” Skipper asked, wiggling his eyebrows at him knowingly.

“It’s not a secret that I’m gay,” Eiji said, giggling aloud when he thought how ridiculous a question that had been. “That’s why I’m dating Ash.”

The room fell silent. No one dared to draw breath, as everyone’s minds were processing what Eiji had just said.  _ Was this a confession? _

Eiji himself didn’t realise he’d said anything funny, his expression turning from cheerful to frowning when he noticed that no one was laughing with him. “Is there something wrong?” he asked, looking at Ash for explanation, but found the blond boy staring at him, his face as red as a tomato.

“What are you blushing for?”

“Eiji,” Ash whispered, his voice thick and raspy as he cupped the dark haired boy’s face in his palms, leaning closer and closer until Eiji could smell the sweet scent of liquor on his lips. “You said that we are dating.”

“Oh,” Eiji’s eyes widened with realisation, and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest when he pushed the blond boy off, laughing bitterly before correcting his words. “I meant that we’re  _ fake  _ dating, you know that…”

“Oh fuck me, I’m not drunk enough for this shit,” Sing let out a pile of curse words, standing up from Yut-Lung’s lap to go get himself something stronger to drink from the kitchen. Eiji looked at him go, wondering why the air in the room felt so tense all of a sudden.

He was about to ask if they wanted to continue the game, but Shorter suddenly groaned aloud, slamming his fists to the floor so loudly Eiji jumped to the air from shock. “I’ve had enough! Ash, truth or dare?”

The blond threw him an ugly look and didn’t say anything, but Shorter didn’t let that stop him. “A dare it is, then. Ash, I dare you to kiss the person you like.”

“Wait, it was my turn to -” Eiji tried to argue, but the rest of his words were replaced by a cry as his whole body was suddenly turned around, and he came face to face with Ash. The green eyes staring at him were sparkling as if there were flames burning behind them, and all heat flushed to Eiji’s cheeks when he found himself lost in the raw emotions displayed on Ash’s face. “Ash, what are you -”

“Can I kiss you?”

Eiji’s heart stopped beating for a solid second. His whole body tensed up as his breath hitched in his throat, his mind failing to process the words he had just heard.  _ Did this mean - did Ash like him? _

“What - why -” Eiji stuttered, the butterflies in his stomach growing tenfold as his hands found Ash’s waist, clutching onto the thin fabric of his shirt as he swallowed and licked his lips, his eyes dropping from Ash’s to stare at his lips instead. “I - uhm,  _ yes _ ?”

The last word was whispered, and Eiji’s voice shook from all the emotions he had bottled up inside him. He had dreamed of this moment countless of times before, and now that it was in his hands, he didn’t know what to do but to accept the request.  _ Would Ash really kiss him? Did he really like him? Did this mean they were - _

And then, Ash’s lips pressed against his. Eiji let out a surprised yelp, his eyes fluttering shut when the force of the kiss hit him. His hands tightened their grip on Ash, all sweaty and slippery as he felt all the strength from his body vanish as heat began building in his lower abdomen, his head fuzzy and face burning. Ash’s hands held onto his shoulders as if his life depended on it, and Eiji’s skin sparked from where the other boy was touching him, yearning for more…

Ash broke the kiss after Eiji’s head was swimming and they were both out of breath, but continued kissing him once they looked at each other again. The second kiss was just as intense as the first one, and this time Eiji moaned into it, pressing his body closer to Ash’s, needing to feel as much of him as he could before they would inevitably part. The blond boy’s hands found Eiji’s hair and began playing with it, his fingers digging into Eiji’s scalp with passion, sending shivers down his spine and all the way to his stomach.

“Disgusting,” Yut-Lung said when they parted again, a trail of saliva still connecting their mouths together. But Eiji didn’t hear him, for all he could concentrate on was the way Ash’s face was all flushed and his pupils dilated, tears falling down the slender face quietly.

He wiped his thumbs across Ash’s face, trying to get the tears off, but they seemed to increase the more he touched him. Eiji felt confused, and was about to ask the boy why he was crying when he was pulled into a bone-crushing embrace. Ash pressed his face against the crook of Eiji’s neck, sobbing aloud and holding onto him tightly.

Eiji wrapped his arms around the blond boy, holding him in his lap while he cried, whispering comforting nonsense to his ears in a desperate attempt to make him calm down. It took him some effort, but soon enough Ash’s tears had dried out, and he sniffled weakly, not daring to lift his head up just yet.

“Do you feel better?” Eiji asked softly, brushing his hands through Ash’s hair, kissing the top of his head gently when the boy nodded against him. “That’s good.”

“Well, that was quite the first kiss,” Shorter whistled, and just like that they were all back to normal. Skipper snorted, clasping his hands together just as Sing entered the room, seeing the way Ash and Eiji were hugging each other, letting out a frustrated growl when he realised he’d missed something great here.

“Don’t tell me I missed it?”

“That’s what you get for being such a drunkard,” Yut-Lung said, squealing when Sing lifted his shirt and pressed the ice cold beer bottle against his back. The other snickered as the two began arguing, holding Yut-Lung down while he tried to escape from his grip, shouting profanities at him when he found himself unable to move.

Ash pulled at Eiji’s sleeve, making him turn to look at him instead of the commotion of the other’s. Eiji blushed when he saw how small the blond looked in his arms, all soft and adorable.

“I want to take you out. On a date,” Ash whispered to Eiji’s ear, kissing his earlobe softly before returning to lean his head against his neck. “Just the two of us. I don’t want to fake anything anymore.”

Eiji’s whole being lit up, and he felt more alive than he had ever been before.

“I’d love that,” he answered before giving a quick peck on Ash's forehead, his lips quirking upwards as he reveled in the warmth flooding to his chest, feeling the other boy's heart beat against his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... They weren't supposed to kiss until the last chapter but my goodness were they too eager to wait, so who am I to stop them ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	6. Cityside/Countryside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first date :3 Or, the first half of it actually...

Eiji was beyond nervous. Today was the day he was supposed to go out with Ash, for a  _ date _ , a  _ real _ date at that. They had been officially together for two weeks now, but Eiji was still unable to believe they were really dating.

He was sitting on the bench of a park nearby his home, waiting for Ash to come pick him up. Aika had teased him relentlessly while he had prepared himself for the date, and he’d decided it’d be better if Ash wouldn’t come to get him from his house. He was already nervous at it was, and he didn’t want his whole family to be there this time.

Well, Eiji had a good reason for wanting some privacy - he hadn’t properly kissed Ash since that first time. Sure, there had been one or two soft pecks to the cheek here and there, but nothing more heated. Eiji could’t say he was disappointed of their lack of intimacy, but he found his mind repeatedly going back to the way Ash’s lips had tasted against his, how softly the blond boy had been wrapped around him.

A familiar sound of an engine roaring came from the end of the street, and Eiji snapped his head up, his heartbeat picking up when he saw Ash’s motorbike speeding towards the park. He smiled widely, hopping off the bench as he tried not to rush towards his boyfriend too fast.

“Hello, handsome,” Eiji teased, his cheeks flushed and breath short as he smiled at Ash, who was currently taking off his helmet. “Took your sweet time.”

“Eager, aren’t you?” Ash answered, the blush on his face rivaling Eiji’s. He walked towards the japanese boy until he could pull him closer, and Eiji took the opportunity to press his lips against his. Ash let out a surprised gasp, but melted into the kiss soon enough.

Eiji’s insides were burning, his body overly alert of the way Ash’s fingers digged to his sides, drawing circles around the skin visible between his jeans and t-shirt. Eiji felt  _ alive _ , doing what he knew he was meant to do as he slipped his tongue inside Ash’s mouth, his head all fuzzy and thoughts disappearing as soon all he knew was the way Ash felt around him.

When they parted, Ash pressed a soft kiss onto Eiji’s forehead before dropping his head to rest against his shoulder. Eiji hummed contently, leaning against the radiating heat while Ash held him in a tight embrace, both of them out of breath.

“You smell so good,” Ash told Eiji, who nodded against his shoulder, his chest tingling and smile widening when he felt his boyfriend’s breath ghost against his skin.

“Where are you going to take me?” Eiji asked after a while. Ash had wanted to keep it a secret, and at first Eiji had been okay with it, but by now he was dying to know where the blond boy wanted their first date to be at.

“Impatient much?” Ash laughed, the bright sound echoing in the empty park. He grinned when he saw the cutest pout on Eiji’s face, and kissed his nose quickly before pulling him towards the motorbike. “Don’t worry, you’ll see soon enough.”

They got on top of the bike, and Eiji wound his arms tightly around Ash when the blond started the engine, and then they were off into the evening. Eiji closed his eyes, revelling on the cool breeze brushing over him as he held the heat of Ash’s body connect with his. He had always enjoyed riding with Ash, and now that he didn’t have to hold himself back, he found pressing his chest against Ash’s back to be one of the most comforting feelings in the world.

After they’d rode for a better part of a fifteen minutes, Ash pulled over. Eiji blinked his eyes open, gasping when he realised just where they were. He quickly hopped of the bike, tossing his helmet off before jumping to wrap himself around Ash’s neck, hugging him tightly before the boy had even properly gotten off of the bike.

They stood in front of the tiny Chinese restaurant Eiji had first met Ash so many years ago. They had never been to that place since, but it held its place in Eiji’s heart as one of the most important places in his life. He’d even told Ash he wanted to go there to taste if their sweet-and-sour chicken was really as good as he remembered.

“You like it?” Ash asked nervously, and Eiji nodded firmly.

“I love it! How did you even remember this place?”

Ash shrugged, turning to lock the bike to avoid telling Eiji that  _ of course _ he remembered, that he remembered even the most tiniest, trivial things that had happened since the japanese boy had entered his life. He didn’t have the words to describe just how much he adored Eiji, and so he stayed silent. But then, Eiji took his hand to his own, squeezing it gently to show him that  _ yes _ , he did understand.

“Shall we go then?” Ash asked, his voice strained as he looked at his boyfriend, his heart swelling in his chest. Eiji smiled, brushing Ash’s hair off his forehead to press a soft kiss on it, his breath ghosting over the skin for a moment before he parted, guiding the blushing boy inside the restaurant.

The scent of deep-fried chicken and spices filled their lungs, and Eiji found to his surprise that the place was almost full of chattering people. He took a glance at Ash, who had also noticed how crowded the place was. He frowned before turning to look at Eiji. “How about we take the food with us and go eat somewhere else? I didn’t think there would be so much people…”

“That sounds great!” Eiji beamed, going over to the counter to place his order. They leaned against the counter while waiting for their food, and talked about everything and nothing, just like they always did.

“Hey, what do you think about that old man’s moustache?” Eiji asked, nodding his head discreetly towards the bald man sitting by the window table with another, more obese man. “What do you think he does for living?”

“He is a mafia boss,” Ash said, perking up when Eiji started the game the two of them used to play sometimes when they were outside and bored. “Just look at them, wearing suits in a place like this, nobody does that. I bet he runs an underage prostitution ring as a side business, he looks like a pervert.”

“Ash!” Eiji laughed, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s wild imagination. The blond always came up with the nastiest and weirdest backstories, but Eiji would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy hearing them. “What about his friend?”

“A disgusting pedophile,” Ash said with confidence, turning his nose up in distaste as he thought of it. “Probably has a collection of videos back at home. He’s the baldy’s most reliable customer, and also provides workers for him.”

“That sound so horrible,” Eiji whispered, the way the bald man smiled making him wonder if he really was a mafia boss, the sight of it sending shivers down his spine.  _ He sure has the looks for it… _

“Your turn!” Ash announced, scanning the room before stopping and smiling, pointing at a blond woman eating with her son and husband. “What secrets does she have?”

Eiji looked at her for a second, studying the way she fed the kid, his eyes widening when he saw how she swatted her husband’s hand off with a displeased look on her face when he tried to help. “They are getting a divorce. The guy is about to go to a jail, and the woman can’t stand the idea of having him as a father figure to their kid. She is one of those strong and independent women, but in a good kinda way I suppose.”

They continued the game to the point where their suggestions grew more and more absurd. Ash even managed to make Eiji snort so loud that the elderly couple on the table nearest to them gave them funny looks. As a revenge, Eiji tickled Ash until he laughed so hard he started hiccuping.

By the time their food was ready, the two boys were panting from laughter, trying and failing to hide their giggles behind their hands. Ash took the food while Eiji pressed his face onto his neck from behind, his whole body shaking while he leaned against his boyfriend as they wobbled out of the restaurant.

Once they were outside, it took them only one snort from Eiji to break into uncontrollable laughter, which only stopped after what felt like an eternity. Ash wiped tears off his eyes, breathing heavily as the corners of Eiji’s mouth were still twitching

“Did you see the look the cashier gave us?” Eiji breathed, his head swimming from laughing so hard. “He looked as if he was about to get an aneurysm.”

“What about that old lady with the flower on her hat?” Ash said, his smile straining his cheeks when he remembered the shock on her face. “She totally heard what you said about her, didn’t she?”

“Oh my God, this is terrible,” Eiji giggled, leaning against Ash’s shoulder while stealing a glance towards the restaurant. “I think we should go before they come and murder us.”

“As you say,” Ash said, snickering as he unlocked the bike, and soon enough they were on the road again. This time Eiji kept his eyes open, holding the bag containing their food tightly to his chest as he looked up to the clouds, feeling refreshed and happy.

_ Oh, how he loved to be alive. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this fic is ending? Like, one chapter left like what?!?!? Feels so weird... But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Future/Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other half of the date :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who's read this! I'm honestly so happy you have liked this <3
> 
> And an especially big thank you for all of you who have commented on this!! I've been crying over how nice you guys are and I want to print your kind words to put on my wall to see every morning when I wake up, I just cannot thank you enough!!!! And also thank you for everyone who's given this work kudos or have bookmarked this, or even given this fic a chance. Thank you all so so much <3<3<3<3

They drove the motorbike to the front of the tall apartment building where Ash lived in, and Eiji hopped off to open the gate to the courtyard so that Ash could park the bike before they went inside. The dark haired boy felt the bottom of his stomach tingle from both excitement and hunger as he silently followed his boyfriend to the corridor of the old building, and up the stairs.

“Wait here for a second,” Ash said when they reached his door, fishing his keys out of his pocket before opening the door. Eiji frowned, holding their meals tighter in his hand as he stayed still, wondering what exactly Ash was up to now.

“Aren't we going to go in?”

“I want to show you something first,” came Ash’s short answer, and then he disappeared inside the apartment. He reappeared soon enough, and shook his head at Eiji’s questioning look, holding a plastic bag in his hand.

“Let’s go to the roof,” he said, and all Eiji could do was to follow him all the way up to the last floor. He was a little out of breath after the climb, thinking of how unfair it was that Ash could look as if he wasn’t affected by the exercise in any way at all. 

“I can't believe they still haven't fixed the elevator,” Eiji puffed, stepping through the door Ash was holding open for him. The rooftop was bare and not a particularly astonishing place for a date, and Eiji had only been there once or twice before, never long enough to really get attached to it.

“How long does the landlord think they can keep it like that?”

“I don’t think they give a shit, honestly,” Ash snickered, having gotten used to his landlord’s indifferent attitude towards the many problems the building had. “Remember how long it took them to fix the heater when it broke last summer?”

Eiji was about to laugh, but a sudden gust of wind brushed over him, and all that came out was a shiver instead.

“Is it too cold in here?” Ash asked, a concerned look on his face. “We can go inside if you don’t want to be here…”

“No, it's fine,” Eiji smiled. He wanted to know why Ash had brought him here, and the sun was still up to warm him enough to be okay. “It’s beautiful in here. I think the sun’s about to set soon.”

Ash smiled widely, finally closing the door behind him before walking over to the railing, gesturing Eiji to follow him. He put the blanket he’d taken from the house down so they could sit on it, and helped Eiji down next to him.

The next minute passed by in silence as the boys opened their food containers, the smell of the pork and chicken making their mouths salivate. Eiji broke his chopsticks in half, wasting no time digging in as it had already been so long since he’d last eaten.

He let out a happy sound in the back of his throat when the first bite of the sweet-and-sour chicken hit his taste buds. His face melted into a satisfied smile, his eyes focused on the setting sun just about visible over the rooftops of the buildings in front of them. He kicked his feet in the air over the railing he was leaning against as he turned to look at Ash. “This is so good!”

Ash smiled back, his hair flowing freely in the strong breeze, the golden rays of sunlight illuminating his face so beautifully Eiji felt his breath hitch in his throat.  _ Man, I love him so much it hurts…  _

“But does it really?” the blond asked, and leaned over to steal the piece of chicken Eiji was holding in his chopsticks, the Japanese man too distracted to notice what he was doing until it was too late. 

“Hey!” he cried out, but stopped to gulp when he saw the way Ash was licking his lips slowly with a soft hum as he returned to sit properly back to his own place. 

“You were right, it is pretty good,” he said, continuing to eat his own pork as if he hadn’t noticed the way Eiji had flushed because of him. “Although I got to say, it's a bit too sweet for me.”

Eiji snorted at that. “Too sweet? You drink caramel frappés with extra whipped cream, I don't think there even is such a thing as _too_ _sweet_ in your vocabulary.”

“Hey!” Ash gasped, planting his hand over his chest in mock-hurt. “That's not true! You see, there is this one overly sweet thing in my life that I know of…”

“Oh, is there now?” Eiji was speaking in a teasing tone, but his heart was picking speed every second. He focused his eyes onto the sky, suddenly very aware of the boy sitting next to him.

“Mhn,” Ash hummed, a victorious smirk on his face as he looked at his boyfriend. “So sweet I’m afraid I'll get cavities someday soon.”

“Shouldn't you stay away from that sweet thing then?” Eiji laughed, his heart tightening in his chest. “You know what they say, too much sugar is bad for your health~”

“Then, diabetes it is,” Ash said bluntly, his hand finding its way to Eiji’s thigh. The dark haired boy inhaled sharply, wondering how he could be so lucky to have Ash as his boyfriend. He dropped his chopsticks down so that he could take his free hand and brush it over the one that was now digging its way down his bare skin from one of the rips in his jeans.

Ash took his hand off after a moment of exploring, bringing Eiji’s palm onto to his lips instead. He took his time kissing every knuckle before turning his face upwards, looking somewhat vulnerable all of a sudden. All the traces of the playfulness from before had been wiped off his face, and his voice shook when he spoke.

“Eiji… I want you to know that I can't possibly explain in words just how much you mean to me. You've changed my whole life, changed the way I see my life… I'm happy for every second I get to spend with you, and if you ever want to go, I won't stop you. But please, stay with me. I won't ask for forever, but just for now, Eiji…”

“Forever,” Eiji gave his answer, his voice thick as he squeezed Ash’s hand. He felt the other boy tremble against him, and opened his arms to let him drop his head to his lap, softly stroking his fingers through the blond locks.

The sun finally dipped behind the horizon, and Eiji stared at the sky while it turned from light pink to deep orange, knowing that no matter what the future would throw onto him and Ash, they would always have each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~This ending feels rushed and I'm not digging it too much because of the sweet Self Doubt™~~
> 
> But here it is, I hope you liked this!! I honestly had a plan for this, I really did... and this fic followed it for like the first two chapters before deciding not to listen to me anymore xD
> 
> This is actually my first finished multi-chapter fic and I'm quite proud of it!!! although I know it has it's problems, but I never intended this to be anything fancier than just pure self-indulgent fluff to heal me after the anime ending :D

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!
> 
> I won't probably be able to update this every day as I'm quite busy at the moment, but I'll try my best!!!
> 
> I have tumblr, you can find it [here](https://lonesome-writer.tumblr.com/)


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